Cherry varieties suitable for organic cultivation in the Baltic region (BIOFRUITNET Practice Abstract)

The use of winter hard, cracking-resistant, medium and low-vigour cultivars, suitable for complex biocontrol of cherry fruit flies and other pests and diseases, can increase qualitative organic cherry yield in the Baltic region. Practical recommendation • Check information about local cultivars tested at research stations and on established orchards. Ask your-self the following questions: o Do I want to produce cherries with or without covers? Choose low vigour (vigour reducing root-stocks) and cultivars with high market fruit value for covered orchards; for open field cultivation, cracking tolerant and early ripening cultivars are best suited. o Do I want to offer cherries to retailers or to direct sales? Choose cultivars with dark red and firm fruit to sell to retailers; have a wider assortment with different fruit colours and firmness for direct mar-keting. • Keep the trunk healthy - trunk liming is a good preventive means against winter damage. • Pruning o Prune trees only in dry, sunny weather. o Perform spring pruning to advance the branching. Recommended for combinations of low-vigour growing cultivars and vigour-reducing rootstocks o Perform summer pruning to reduce the vigour. • Cut out immediately, without waiting for spring or summer pruning, unhealthy, wilting, withering or gum-ming branches. • List of cultivars suited for sweet cherry organic production: o Early to medium early ripening and resistant to cracking, suitable for open fields: Agila (better in warmer places) (Picture 1), Radica (Picture 2), Arthur. o Weak to medium vigour, firm fruit, suitable for growing under the covers: Artis, Aleksandrs (Picture 3), Tyutchevka (Picture 4)